Week 1: Jan 1 to 7
I've been binge-watching a lot of Rogue One interviews (such as this one), despite having never even seen the film yet, and I'm still in shock at how diverse the main cast is compared to the older Star War films! A Pakistani, two Chinese men (one being Donnie Yen, a very famous actor from Hong Kong, my home away from home), and a female lead! While the numbers seem a bit small, it still made me appreciate the approach Disney is taking with their movies. A particular movie that really pops into my mind is the new Spiderman movie! From the love interest to the two best friends to even the bully, they're all people of color. I was so impressed and it only made me so much more excited for the movie to come out. It makes you realize how often we do not get to see different types of people in mainstream media, how often those that are different from the typical Hollywood glam don't get casted (and if they do, they're stereotyped), so to see the changes being made in positive ways really excite me.
Week 2: Jan 8 to 14
This week I met up with a friend and we both talked about the diversity here in University of Georgia. I came from a high school that had primarily white people so I was pleasantly surprised by how much more people of color there were on campus just milling about and all the different cultural societies, etc., but my friend who went to school in Atlanta thinks that UGA has little diversity compared to where she came from and that there are mainly just white people in all her classes, which I also relate to for the most part since even my biggest classes would be a sea of white people, but nonetheless I still think UGA is a diverse campus and allows their student to celebrate their different cultures and showcase them in events such as Coffee Hour!
Week 3: Jan 15 to 21 The Women's March was on the 21st, and I was so happy to see so many women of all backgrounds unite together! I'm glad everyone was able to get together and march under gloomy conditions, because being able to show that we are all united, even the men with the women, is such a huge beacon of hope.
Week 4: Jan 22 to Jan 28
I attended the Women's Studies Student Organization's first spring meeting on Tuesday, and while I should not have been that shocked, I was a bit surprised at how little women/people of color were in the room. I spotted maybe 2-3 who were not obviously white. I think the lack of diversity makes me a bit concerned about whether or not this organization will be as intersectional as I hope it will be, or if it will be "white feminism" (very similar to Taylor Swift's sort of feminism) I do not want to place harsh judgements so soon on the organization, however, because they did talk a lot about helping those of different backgrounds make it through life a little bit easier under Trump's administration.
Week 5: Jan 29 to Feb 4
I ran into old friends on Friday night when I went to go visit my best friend at her work. It was nice seeing them again, but the topic ran into politics which is always a touchy subject. I found out these friends voted for Trump, and while they were not avid Trump supporters, they still wanted people to not be as vocal about disliking him and to just more or less.. suck it up. Which I hate when people tell me to do just that. The conversation ran into how all these protests occurring aren't doing anything because "these groups aren't united at all, they're just shoving all these rights they want into our faces" and I shot back with "well, black lives matter had a very clear and succinct message and was the frontrunner for so many years yet people still will shoot black kids off the street." While this doesn't necessarily have to do with diversity, it really hit me then how lack of diversity can affect your way of thinking. These friends I grew up with grew up in a bubble with me where we were surrounded by rich white children and their parents. Seriously. Mercedes was a common brand in the parking lot. I'm not necessarily saying being white makes you deaf to the protests, but I think growing up where you're not exposed to different walks of life and cultures, which college does open the door to, it does make people a bit ignorant and close-minded.
Week 6: Feb 5 to Feb 11
This weekend my girlfriend arrived from Canada to spend a month with me here in Athens! However, walking around in Atlanta together made me realize how often I do not see any same-sex relationships out in public at all. Which was weird considering how much for Gay Pride Atlanta is. Not to say that you have to be loud and proud in order to be seen, but it does show how those in a same-sex relationship do feel much more compelled to be secretive about it, especially in today's political environment and considering our state's voting patterns. It was a rather weird feeling to not be able to hold her hand in public in fear of someone just yelling at us for it whereas in Orlando, we were completely comfortable. I hope this isn't a trend that continues, but with Trump in the White House, who knows?
Week 7: Feb 12 to 18
I saw a news headline this week featuring the upcoming movie 'Ghost in the Shell,' which is based on the famous Japanese sci-fi franchise, in which the main actress, Scarlett Johansson, implied the movie was more about feminism than race. First of all, the fact that Scarlett Johansson is playing Major Kusanagi, a woman of obviously Japanese origins, instead of someone like Rinko Kikuchi who is Japanese and has shown that she can pull off the look of Major Kusanagi in her role as Mako in 'Pacific Rim," is beyond ignorant and typical White Hollywood. Second of all, if you're going to have the main character be white and set it in some futuristic Japan, then at least have more of the bigger side characters be Japanese or at least of Asian origins! But no, most of the bigger side characters are either white or light-skin mixed. The only Japanese or Asian characters you see are either evil robots, expendable characters, or just for that exotic wow factor. That doesn't create a good image at all. When a script like this is introduced to Hollywood, an industry that completely throws the blanket over any minority group, it is beyond important to showcase minorities. That's why this film is about race, and not just feminism. Then again, no one is surprised as Scarlett's brand of "feminism" is very very very white feminism, much like most white celebrities', and not intersectional feminism.
Week 8: Feb 19 to Feb 25
WOOHOO It's Oscars Weekend! The Oscars is always perfect to talk about diversity, or lack thereof. There have been many issues with the Oscars in the past about their nominees and nominations, especially with the diversity portion, having sparked hashtags such as #OscarsSoWhite in 2015 and onwards. Did you know throughout the 20th century, 95% of Oscar nominees were white? Asians have only earned 1% in Oscar nominations, and even then, it's usually a Southern Asian nabbing a nomination (which is great still!) but exactly zero East Asians have been nominated for anything. In 2015 and 2016 Oscars, pretty much every nominees were white! That's rather embarrassing given that we are in the 21st century. However, 2017 Oscars were looking to turn things around and many actors and actresses of color were seen on the screen, not as audience members, but as nominees! Films like 'Moonlight,' 'Hidden Figures,' and 'Moana' feature people of color in very prominent roles. Just as I am typing this, Mahershala Ali of 'Moonlight' won Best Supporting Actor, the very first Muslim to win any Oscar and one of the few black males as well. The reason why I find this to be phenomenal is because this is how you can start breaking down barriers and starting conversations. The more diversity we see on TV is how we can inspire youth. The Oscars is important in facilitating this as one of TV's biggest events with the greatest gathering of people who we see all the time on the small screens or big screens. So when children of color or any religious background see people like them on TV, they feel strength, they feel included. That's why diversity matters.
Week 9: Feb 26 to Mar 4
This week I started watching Black-ish, an ABC family series, about a black family who live in an upper class suburban neighborhood deal with issues such as racism, LGBTQ+, and feminism. I've watched the show before until middle of season 2, but I picked it back up from the beginning since my girlfriend was curious about the show. However, I'm not complaining at all, because watching the some episodes the second time around, especially with our current political and social environment, it's eye-opening. The pilot episode itself already brings up racial issues, specifically equality in the workforce, both race and gender-wise. It made me happy to see a show like this be put on TV, because it honestly does a good job of explaining both sides perfectly and relays the message in a way that doesn't feel like they're outright guilting you or forcing it down your throat. Multiple issues were brought up throughout Season 1 such as civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, the usage of the n-word, and even regular family issues such as the sex talk amongst many other topics. I love that this show highlights a proud black family, and I love even more that this show doesn't use them to laugh at how poor or ghetto/ratchet they are like some shows do nowadays. I also love the initiative ABC is taking to highlight different families and that they're not afraid to talk about hard or controversial issues such as police brutality and Black Lives Matter.. Another good example is Fresh Off the Boat, an Asian family who went from a predominantly Asian neighborhood to a predominantly affluent white neighborhood.
Week 10: Mar 5 to Mar 11
About two weeks ago or so, Disney confirmed that their first open gay character is going to be LeFou in their new live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. It felt like they were throwing a bone to the LGBTQ+ community, and while the gesture is there, it doesn't necessarily mean it's appreciated. LeFou is the comic relief sidekick of Gaston, the symbol of toxic masculinity and poster child for misogynists. He is meant to be laughed at, basically, which obviously sends a terrible message on how gay people should be perceived. Now, I'm not saying gay people cannot be awful people, but to have the first gay character out of all the rich characters Disney already has be LeFou feels not only lazy, but offensive, because LeFou is the butt of all jokes. I personally think they made LeFou gay because it's always a joke trope that the gay man is extra flamboyant and judging from the trailers, LeFou is very flamboyant. If it was Cogsworth or Lumiere, then I'd be totally fine with that, but LeFou? I'm disappointed in you, Disney. You could have done better!
Week 11: Mar 12 to Mar 18
I went to watch Beauty and the Beast this weekend. I noticed in the movie they put a lot of black people in the background, either as part of the village or the aristocracy, and while it is nice to see Disney attempting to diversify their movies, it struck me that it was just a basic move with no meaning. France back in those days had plenty of Asian aristocrats and Middle Eastern people filtering in and out of their streets, but there was barely any sight of them in the movie. Disney just shoved a bunch of black people into Beauty and the Beast as a sort of "Hey, look!!! We know how to be diverse!!!" but what the failed to take into consideration is that there's more than just black people. Speaking personally as an Asian-American, it makes me sad that there is nearly zilch representation of us ANYWHERE. Not even for historical accuracy. While I am happy that black people are getting much more mainstream success with an all-black ensemble, it does make me sad that there's no push for Asians at all. Yet Hollywood loves to take our stories and our elements into their own films. I hope this will change in the near future.
Week 12: Mar 19 to Mar 25
The new Death Note trailer came out on March 22nd, and boy, oh boy. First of all, Netflix pretty much acted as if Asian-AMERICANS do not exist by casting a white kid as the main character (who is obviously Japanese in the original) and said it was because this remake of DN is "western." Do Asian-Americans not exist in the western world? Not only that, there is almost no Asian actors in the film. Netflix doing this wasn't a huge surprise though, considering how they shafted Danny in Iron Fist by making him a white man as well, and then made the Asian-American actor who auditioned for the main character be a villain instead. Real smooth, Netflix. The co-creater of Iron Fist went on to say that he didn't understand the fuss about whitewashing, but see, the fuss is that white people consistently take Asian stories and elements and make it as their own without showcasing any Asians at all, touting it about as a White American success. Not only that, some aspects of it fetishizes the Asian culture (such as geishas and schoolgirls) for the American gaze. Now, back to Death Note, many people are claiming it's fine that they whitewashed the cast since Japanese people are fine with it, and to that I say, well, they don't ever have to worry about representation in their own communities. In Japan, all you see is Japanese people on the billboards and television. However, for Japanese-Americans, or any Asian-American, we don't see ourselves on TV as anything but the nerdy sidekick or exotic hot chick or the broken English gag relief. Diversity in the arts is important for children to see themselves as anything but their ugly stereotypes. That's why I'm disappointed at Netflix, because they're taking Asian stories and not crediting them properly, and they're pushing this message that Asian-American kids do not matter on the big screen to their audience, and that only white people sell. That's disheartening.
Week 13: Mar 26 to Apr 2 News broke out today that Jordan Peele, writer and director of 'Get Out,' has broken a new record! 'Get Out' became the highest grossing film for an original screenplay, beating 'The Blair Witch Project.' This is a tremendous moment, because this movie and Jordan Peele are voices for the black community, and it really showcases black excellence in the best way. It's telling black children that there are faces like theirs out in the industry. Movies like 'Black Panther' that feature a predominantly black cast have become more apparent during the past few years, although this definitely wasn't the case back in the early 2000s when it was common to have more than just 2 black characters on screen (i.e. The Proud Family, That's so Raven, Jump In!, etc.) but since then, the numbers of any people of color in media has disappeared. I hope with the success of Get Out and Moonlight that more and more people of any diverse backgrounds will pop up in the mainstream success.
Week 14: Apr 3 to Apr 9
In the news this week, a Vietnamese doctor was dragged off an United airplane due to the airline "overbooking" the flight. He refused to volunteer to leave the plane as he had patients to attend to the very next day, so United sought fit to call state police to deal with the situation. The moment escalated and he was forced off the plane while protesting, then his head was bashed against a seat arm, unknown to be intentional or not, and his mouth was left bloodied. The media lashed out on this immediately, but just like they do with Black-American and Hispanic/Latinx-American youths, they criminalized this doctor in order to justify the brute force Chicago police exerted on him. Courier-Journal brought up his "troubled past" as if a few petty issues years ago makes it okay for state violence to occur. Which by the way, was the wrong doctor. Although this case may not be intentionally racist, there was a case just this week as well of a woman being denied lodging from an Airbnb host because she was Asian. Despite the fact that she has lived in America most of her life and is in law school, she was written off immediately as Asian and wasn't granted shelter during a terrible winter storm. Had she stayed out in the storm, she would have died. Yet no one speaks about racism towards Asians because they are considered the "model minority" -- which is a term that white Americans created to not only cage in Asians but to also uphold anti-black stigma. They pitted Asians against Black Americans to shame them. Racism is still alive and well in America, no one doubted this, but it stings to see major corporations handle it poorly. Much like how United did.
Week 15: Apr 10 to Apr 16 The new Doctor Who has been announced, and it's *drumroll* another white male. Specifically, a man named Kris Marshall. Doctor Who has only had white male Doctors for the entirety of its run, which is extremely disappointing to say the least. Can a master manipulator of time and space only be white and male? It's 2017! There were rumors of a potential female doctor or a person of color to be the new Doctor, but it seems as if BBC would rather stay with their same old boring pattern. It's disappointing that such a huge show like Doctor Who still will not take the initiative to be more inclusive. It's always the same pattern of male protagonist with female sidekick who is always attractive. He's the witty one, and she tends to be a bit of a ditz. The lack of diversity is really disappointing.
I've been binge-watching a lot of Rogue One interviews (such as this one), despite having never even seen the film yet, and I'm still in shock at how diverse the main cast is compared to the older Star War films! A Pakistani, two Chinese men (one being Donnie Yen, a very famous actor from Hong Kong, my home away from home), and a female lead! While the numbers seem a bit small, it still made me appreciate the approach Disney is taking with their movies. A particular movie that really pops into my mind is the new Spiderman movie! From the love interest to the two best friends to even the bully, they're all people of color. I was so impressed and it only made me so much more excited for the movie to come out. It makes you realize how often we do not get to see different types of people in mainstream media, how often those that are different from the typical Hollywood glam don't get casted (and if they do, they're stereotyped), so to see the changes being made in positive ways really excite me.
Week 2: Jan 8 to 14
This week I met up with a friend and we both talked about the diversity here in University of Georgia. I came from a high school that had primarily white people so I was pleasantly surprised by how much more people of color there were on campus just milling about and all the different cultural societies, etc., but my friend who went to school in Atlanta thinks that UGA has little diversity compared to where she came from and that there are mainly just white people in all her classes, which I also relate to for the most part since even my biggest classes would be a sea of white people, but nonetheless I still think UGA is a diverse campus and allows their student to celebrate their different cultures and showcase them in events such as Coffee Hour!
Week 3: Jan 15 to 21
The Women's March was on the 21st, and I was so happy to see so many women of all backgrounds unite together! I'm glad everyone was able to get together and march under gloomy conditions, because being able to show that we are all united, even the men with the women, is such a huge beacon of hope.
Week 4: Jan 22 to Jan 28
I attended the Women's Studies Student Organization's first spring meeting on Tuesday, and while I should not have been that shocked, I was a bit surprised at how little women/people of color were in the room. I spotted maybe 2-3 who were not obviously white. I think the lack of diversity makes me a bit concerned about whether or not this organization will be as intersectional as I hope it will be, or if it will be "white feminism" (very similar to Taylor Swift's sort of feminism) I do not want to place harsh judgements so soon on the organization, however, because they did talk a lot about helping those of different backgrounds make it through life a little bit easier under Trump's administration.
Week 5: Jan 29 to Feb 4
I ran into old friends on Friday night when I went to go visit my best friend at her work. It was nice seeing them again, but the topic ran into politics which is always a touchy subject. I found out these friends voted for Trump, and while they were not avid Trump supporters, they still wanted people to not be as vocal about disliking him and to just more or less.. suck it up. Which I hate when people tell me to do just that. The conversation ran into how all these protests occurring aren't doing anything because "these groups aren't united at all, they're just shoving all these rights they want into our faces" and I shot back with "well, black lives matter had a very clear and succinct message and was the frontrunner for so many years yet people still will shoot black kids off the street." While this doesn't necessarily have to do with diversity, it really hit me then how lack of diversity can affect your way of thinking. These friends I grew up with grew up in a bubble with me where we were surrounded by rich white children and their parents. Seriously. Mercedes was a common brand in the parking lot. I'm not necessarily saying being white makes you deaf to the protests, but I think growing up where you're not exposed to different walks of life and cultures, which college does open the door to, it does make people a bit ignorant and close-minded.
Week 6: Feb 5 to Feb 11
This weekend my girlfriend arrived from Canada to spend a month with me here in Athens! However, walking around in Atlanta together made me realize how often I do not see any same-sex relationships out in public at all. Which was weird considering how much for Gay Pride Atlanta is. Not to say that you have to be loud and proud in order to be seen, but it does show how those in a same-sex relationship do feel much more compelled to be secretive about it, especially in today's political environment and considering our state's voting patterns. It was a rather weird feeling to not be able to hold her hand in public in fear of someone just yelling at us for it whereas in Orlando, we were completely comfortable. I hope this isn't a trend that continues, but with Trump in the White House, who knows?
Week 7: Feb 12 to 18
I saw a news headline this week featuring the upcoming movie 'Ghost in the Shell,' which is based on the famous Japanese sci-fi franchise, in which the main actress, Scarlett Johansson, implied the movie was more about feminism than race. First of all, the fact that Scarlett Johansson is playing Major Kusanagi, a woman of obviously Japanese origins, instead of someone like Rinko Kikuchi who is Japanese and has shown that she can pull off the look of Major Kusanagi in her role as Mako in 'Pacific Rim," is beyond ignorant and typical White Hollywood. Second of all, if you're going to have the main character be white and set it in some futuristic Japan, then at least have more of the bigger side characters be Japanese or at least of Asian origins! But no, most of the bigger side characters are either white or light-skin mixed. The only Japanese or Asian characters you see are either evil robots, expendable characters, or just for that exotic wow factor. That doesn't create a good image at all. When a script like this is introduced to Hollywood, an industry that completely throws the blanket over any minority group, it is beyond important to showcase minorities. That's why this film is about race, and not just feminism. Then again, no one is surprised as Scarlett's brand of "feminism" is very very very white feminism, much like most white celebrities', and not intersectional feminism.
Week 8: Feb 19 to Feb 25
WOOHOO It's Oscars Weekend! The Oscars is always perfect to talk about diversity, or lack thereof. There have been many issues with the Oscars in the past about their nominees and nominations, especially with the diversity portion, having sparked hashtags such as #OscarsSoWhite in 2015 and onwards. Did you know throughout the 20th century, 95% of Oscar nominees were white? Asians have only earned 1% in Oscar nominations, and even then, it's usually a Southern Asian nabbing a nomination (which is great still!) but exactly zero East Asians have been nominated for anything. In 2015 and 2016 Oscars, pretty much every nominees were white! That's rather embarrassing given that we are in the 21st century. However, 2017 Oscars were looking to turn things around and many actors and actresses of color were seen on the screen, not as audience members, but as nominees! Films like 'Moonlight,' 'Hidden Figures,' and 'Moana' feature people of color in very prominent roles. Just as I am typing this, Mahershala Ali of 'Moonlight' won Best Supporting Actor, the very first Muslim to win any Oscar and one of the few black males as well. The reason why I find this to be phenomenal is because this is how you can start breaking down barriers and starting conversations. The more diversity we see on TV is how we can inspire youth. The Oscars is important in facilitating this as one of TV's biggest events with the greatest gathering of people who we see all the time on the small screens or big screens. So when children of color or any religious background see people like them on TV, they feel strength, they feel included. That's why diversity matters.
Week 9: Feb 26 to Mar 4
This week I started watching Black-ish, an ABC family series, about a black family who live in an upper class suburban neighborhood deal with issues such as racism, LGBTQ+, and feminism. I've watched the show before until middle of season 2, but I picked it back up from the beginning since my girlfriend was curious about the show. However, I'm not complaining at all, because watching the some episodes the second time around, especially with our current political and social environment, it's eye-opening. The pilot episode itself already brings up racial issues, specifically equality in the workforce, both race and gender-wise. It made me happy to see a show like this be put on TV, because it honestly does a good job of explaining both sides perfectly and relays the message in a way that doesn't feel like they're outright guilting you or forcing it down your throat. Multiple issues were brought up throughout Season 1 such as civil rights with Martin Luther King Jr. and Rosa Parks, the usage of the n-word, and even regular family issues such as the sex talk amongst many other topics. I love that this show highlights a proud black family, and I love even more that this show doesn't use them to laugh at how poor or ghetto/ratchet they are like some shows do nowadays. I also love the initiative ABC is taking to highlight different families and that they're not afraid to talk about hard or controversial issues such as police brutality and Black Lives Matter.. Another good example is Fresh Off the Boat, an Asian family who went from a predominantly Asian neighborhood to a predominantly affluent white neighborhood.
Week 10: Mar 5 to Mar 11
About two weeks ago or so, Disney confirmed that their first open gay character is going to be LeFou in their new live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast. It felt like they were throwing a bone to the LGBTQ+ community, and while the gesture is there, it doesn't necessarily mean it's appreciated. LeFou is the comic relief sidekick of Gaston, the symbol of toxic masculinity and poster child for misogynists. He is meant to be laughed at, basically, which obviously sends a terrible message on how gay people should be perceived. Now, I'm not saying gay people cannot be awful people, but to have the first gay character out of all the rich characters Disney already has be LeFou feels not only lazy, but offensive, because LeFou is the butt of all jokes. I personally think they made LeFou gay because it's always a joke trope that the gay man is extra flamboyant and judging from the trailers, LeFou is very flamboyant. If it was Cogsworth or Lumiere, then I'd be totally fine with that, but LeFou? I'm disappointed in you, Disney. You could have done better!
Week 11: Mar 12 to Mar 18
I went to watch Beauty and the Beast this weekend. I noticed in the movie they put a lot of black people in the background, either as part of the village or the aristocracy, and while it is nice to see Disney attempting to diversify their movies, it struck me that it was just a basic move with no meaning. France back in those days had plenty of Asian aristocrats and Middle Eastern people filtering in and out of their streets, but there was barely any sight of them in the movie. Disney just shoved a bunch of black people into Beauty and the Beast as a sort of "Hey, look!!! We know how to be diverse!!!" but what the failed to take into consideration is that there's more than just black people. Speaking personally as an Asian-American, it makes me sad that there is nearly zilch representation of us ANYWHERE. Not even for historical accuracy. While I am happy that black people are getting much more mainstream success with an all-black ensemble, it does make me sad that there's no push for Asians at all. Yet Hollywood loves to take our stories and our elements into their own films. I hope this will change in the near future.
Week 12: Mar 19 to Mar 25
The new Death Note trailer came out on March 22nd, and boy, oh boy. First of all, Netflix pretty much acted as if Asian-AMERICANS do not exist by casting a white kid as the main character (who is obviously Japanese in the original) and said it was because this remake of DN is "western." Do Asian-Americans not exist in the western world? Not only that, there is almost no Asian actors in the film. Netflix doing this wasn't a huge surprise though, considering how they shafted Danny in Iron Fist by making him a white man as well, and then made the Asian-American actor who auditioned for the main character be a villain instead. Real smooth, Netflix. The co-creater of Iron Fist went on to say that he didn't understand the fuss about whitewashing, but see, the fuss is that white people consistently take Asian stories and elements and make it as their own without showcasing any Asians at all, touting it about as a White American success. Not only that, some aspects of it fetishizes the Asian culture (such as geishas and schoolgirls) for the American gaze. Now, back to Death Note, many people are claiming it's fine that they whitewashed the cast since Japanese people are fine with it, and to that I say, well, they don't ever have to worry about representation in their own communities. In Japan, all you see is Japanese people on the billboards and television. However, for Japanese-Americans, or any Asian-American, we don't see ourselves on TV as anything but the nerdy sidekick or exotic hot chick or the broken English gag relief. Diversity in the arts is important for children to see themselves as anything but their ugly stereotypes. That's why I'm disappointed at Netflix, because they're taking Asian stories and not crediting them properly, and they're pushing this message that Asian-American kids do not matter on the big screen to their audience, and that only white people sell. That's disheartening.
Week 13: Mar 26 to Apr 2
News broke out today that Jordan Peele, writer and director of 'Get Out,' has broken a new record! 'Get Out' became the highest grossing film for an original screenplay, beating 'The Blair Witch Project.' This is a tremendous moment, because this movie and Jordan Peele are voices for the black community, and it really showcases black excellence in the best way. It's telling black children that there are faces like theirs out in the industry. Movies like 'Black Panther' that feature a predominantly black cast have become more apparent during the past few years, although this definitely wasn't the case back in the early 2000s when it was common to have more than just 2 black characters on screen (i.e. The Proud Family, That's so Raven, Jump In!, etc.) but since then, the numbers of any people of color in media has disappeared. I hope with the success of Get Out and Moonlight that more and more people of any diverse backgrounds will pop up in the mainstream success.
Week 14: Apr 3 to Apr 9
In the news this week, a Vietnamese doctor was dragged off an United airplane due to the airline "overbooking" the flight. He refused to volunteer to leave the plane as he had patients to attend to the very next day, so United sought fit to call state police to deal with the situation. The moment escalated and he was forced off the plane while protesting, then his head was bashed against a seat arm, unknown to be intentional or not, and his mouth was left bloodied. The media lashed out on this immediately, but just like they do with Black-American and Hispanic/Latinx-American youths, they criminalized this doctor in order to justify the brute force Chicago police exerted on him. Courier-Journal brought up his "troubled past" as if a few petty issues years ago makes it okay for state violence to occur. Which by the way, was the wrong doctor. Although this case may not be intentionally racist, there was a case just this week as well of a woman being denied lodging from an Airbnb host because she was Asian. Despite the fact that she has lived in America most of her life and is in law school, she was written off immediately as Asian and wasn't granted shelter during a terrible winter storm. Had she stayed out in the storm, she would have died. Yet no one speaks about racism towards Asians because they are considered the "model minority" -- which is a term that white Americans created to not only cage in Asians but to also uphold anti-black stigma. They pitted Asians against Black Americans to shame them. Racism is still alive and well in America, no one doubted this, but it stings to see major corporations handle it poorly. Much like how United did.
Week 15: Apr 10 to Apr 16
The new Doctor Who has been announced, and it's *drumroll* another white male. Specifically, a man named Kris Marshall. Doctor Who has only had white male Doctors for the entirety of its run, which is extremely disappointing to say the least. Can a master manipulator of time and space only be white and male? It's 2017! There were rumors of a potential female doctor or a person of color to be the new Doctor, but it seems as if BBC would rather stay with their same old boring pattern. It's disappointing that such a huge show like Doctor Who still will not take the initiative to be more inclusive. It's always the same pattern of male protagonist with female sidekick who is always attractive. He's the witty one, and she tends to be a bit of a ditz. The lack of diversity is really disappointing.
Week 16: Apr 17 to Apr Apr 23